Writing Books in a Visual Media Milieu

Jérôme Meizoz, “Faire l’auteur en régime néo-libéral: rudiments de marketing littéraire” (2020)

Abstract

Published in 2020, Meizoz’s essay focuses on contemporary writers’ relationship with money and the media, two forces that play an increasingly decisive role in the crafting of literary works and their reception. After an initial theoretical section in which the author discusses current research on “literature outside the book” and the “literary industry”, the gaze shifts to a series of case studies illustrating the postural differences between writers who choose “success” and those who choose “prestige”: on the one hand, public notoriety ensured by large sales volumes and media presence; on the other hand, peer appreciation, wich is the only source of lasting “consecration”. This review retraces the structure of the text and provides a comprehensive evaluation of it.